Publications by authors named "Yasuo Awakura"

Secreted frizzled-related protein 1 (SFRP1) is a candidate tumor suppressor gene located at 8p11.2 and antagonizes the Wnt signaling pathway. Epigenetic inactivation of SFRP1 by methylation of its promoter CpG island has recently been reported in several types of cancers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

TU3A, located on 3p21.1, was originally identified as a candidate tumor suppressor gene in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Recently, down-regulation of TU3A expression has been reported not only in RCC but also in other types of cancers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is characterized by a variable and unpredictable clinical course. Thus, accurate prediction of the prognosis is important in clinical settings. We conducted microarray-based study to identify a novel prognostic marker in conventional RCC.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Obesity, a significant risk factor for renal cell carcinoma (RCC), has recently become a public health problem in Japan. In addition, the incidence of RCC in Japan has steadily increased during the past few decades. The objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship of body mass index (BMI) to the prognosis of Japanese patients with RCC.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Immunochemical therapy combining cytokines and chemotherapeutic agents is expected to be effective for treating advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). We investigated the mechanism underlying the synergism of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and the effect of p53 status on the synergy of the combined therapy in RCC cell lines.

Methods: The synergy of IFN-alpha and 5-FU was analyzed by isobolographic analysis in five RCC cell lines.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) plays a pivotal role in cancer invasion and metastasis. Recently, experimental study has shown that MMP-9 is also implicated in early carcinogenesis. We hypothesized that MMP-9 polymorphisms influence the predisposition to develop renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Germline mutations in the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor gene predispose people to renal cancer, hemangioblastomas, and pheochromocytomas in an allele-specific manner. The best documented function of the VHL gene product (pVHL) relates to its ability to polyubiquitinate, and hence target for destruction, the alpha subunits of the heterodimeric transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF). pVHL mutants linked to familial pheochromocyctoma (type 2C VHL disease), in contrast to classical VHL disease, appear to be normal with respect to HIF regulation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: The NOV gene was first identified as an aberrantly expressed gene in avian nephroblastomas induced by myeloblastosis-associated virus. Its expression has been shown to be altered in avian and human nephroblastomas, and to be a target of WT1 regulation. We analyzed the mRNA level of human NOV together with the mRNA level of WT1 in sporadic renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A 75-year-old woman experienced intermittent blood in her urine and urinary retention for 7 months, leading to the discovery of a mass in her vaginal wall.
  • After various diagnostic tests, she was diagnosed with a urethral diverticular tumor that turned out to be adenocarcinoma.
  • The patient underwent chemotherapy and radiation, followed by surgery, and two years later showed no signs of cancer recurrence, marking a unique case of multimodal treatment for this rare condition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF